"Lord Shin, could you please stop grabbing my face?"
Tenka Shiranami, whose face was pinched by one hand, spoke softly. Uchiha Shin was not embarrassed at all, immediately letting go and asking directly, "What are you trying to do? Can't you just be serious and let me pass?"
Looking at the beautiful face of Tenka Shiranami, Uchiha Shin's mood suddenly improved.
Tenka Shiranami didn't know what to say to Uchiha Shin, who was clearly obsessed with appearances. Fortunately, high-ranking beings like her, who were favored by the White Snake Sage, had cultivated Sage Mode to the 'true transformation' realm and could completely assume human form. If they had been like Manda, Aoda, and Kiyohime, who remained in their original snake forms, who knew what kind of twisted things Uchiha Shin would have done to them?
Even in her human form, Tenka Shiranami followed the doctrine of the strong ruling over the weak. Feeling the sheer dominance and power radiating from Uchiha Shin, she grew even more respectful toward him.
She nodded respectfully and explained, "This is a test set by the White Snake Sage. There are two more trials you need to pass, Lord Shin. We cannot break the rules."
Realizing that she was just an intermediary, Uchiha Shin didn't dwell on it. "Fine. Where's the next trial? I don't have time to waste."
Uchiha Shin gestured for Tenka Shiranami to lead the way, and she obediently floated forward.
Now, as he followed her, he noticed her pale, delicate feet, and his mind wandered. "The Ryuchi Cave's Sage Mode really has a broad range of applications. Changing terrain, flight, shape-shifting… Are these considered universal abilities?"
Uchiha Shin recalled that the other two snake priestesses had demonstrated an ability to turn invisible earlier. Meanwhile, the Sage Mode he created from Shikkotsu Forest was purely about raw power augmentation without all these extra tricks.
"Hmph… I didn't expect you to bring him here so willingly, Tenka Shiranami."
A playful voice rang out from the cave ahead. A young girl with long, dark blue hair, strands curling like serpents, emerged from the shadows. Dressed similarly to Tenka, she had the delicate yet eerie beauty of a spirit.
"Ichika-hime, you'll understand why soon enough," Tenka replied, clearly unimpressed, before stepping aside.
Uchiha Shin, eyeing Ichika-hime, noted her slender, porcelain-like legs. Unlike Tenka, her smaller frame carried an innocent, mischievous energy—a perfect loli archetype.
Ichika-hime giggled, her laughter like the tinkling of bells. "Hehe~ I'm Ichika-hime. You're quite interesting. Tell me, how did you get Tenka to guide you here?"
She floated toward him, circling him like a curious specter, her legs swinging playfully in the air.
"I'm not interested in small talk. If you keep floating in front of me like that, I might just pull you down."
Uchiha Shin frowned, watching her unnecessary movements.
Seeing how serious he was, Ichika-hime pouted like a child. "Fine, fine. Let's get down to business. Play a game with me!"
With that, she vanished into thin air. Tenka motioned for Uchiha Shin to step into the cave.
Inside, a stone wall covered in oddly shaped indentations stood before him. On the ground, scattered stone pieces of various shapes lay in wait. Ichika-hime reappeared, grinning. "All you have to do is fit the stones into the correct slots. Once you do, I'll let you pass."
As she spoke, she spun in the air, performing an exaggerated aerial twirl like some circus act.
Watching this ridiculous display, Uchiha Shin felt his patience thinning. "Are you serious? You guys in Ryuchi Cave act like a bunch of preschoolers."
"I'm being serious! You should try it. Otherwise, you'll run out of chakra before you even know it~"
Ichika-hime smirked, baring sharp teeth, intending to scare him.
But before she could continue, Uchiha Shin grabbed her by the calf.
"Eh?"
Her expression froze as she stared at him in disbelief.
Uchiha Shin, unimpressed, glanced at Tenka. "Do all you snake priestesses have a habit of making faces to scare people?"
Without warning, he swung his arm, spinning Ichika-hime like a human windmill.
Ichika-hime let out a shriek as she was flung around in circles. Tenka, watching the scene unfold, broke into a cold sweat.
"Well… um… Lord Shin," she stammered, "you have to understand, barely any shinobi come here. We… entertain ourselves like this…"
Tenka laughed nervously, fully exposing the childish antics of the three priestesses.
Uchiha Shin considered this for a moment and suddenly understood. Spending years—decades, even—trapped in Ryuchi Cave with nothing but repetitive work, waiting for challengers that rarely came… It made sense that they'd develop weird ways to pass the time.
Their amusement wasn't just absorbing chakra from the weak; they also enjoyed scaring intruders, watching their expressions twist in fear. Even if someone wasn't scared, the process itself was still amusing to them.
But they had never encountered someone like Uchiha Shin before.
Ichika-hime, finally regaining her senses, shook her head. Instead of being angry, her expression shifted into something else—excitement.
Her grin widened. "You're really interesting. No one's ever dared to handle us like that before."
Seeing her pleased reaction, Uchiha Shin realized he had dodged the need for an apology.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand."
Instead of playing her stupid puzzle game, Uchiha Shin manipulated his iron sand. The powerful magnetic force instantly attracted the scattered stones, filling the wall's indentations in mere moments.
Tenka Shiranami: "..."
Ichika-hime: "..."
Both snake priestesses stared at him in stunned silence.
They never expected Uchiha Shin to solve the puzzle in such an absurdly efficient way.
This cave was designed to drain chakra. The longer one stayed, the weaker they'd become. The whole point of the test was to solve the puzzle as fast as possible before their chakra was depleted.
But Uchiha Shin's method rendered that entire strategy meaningless.
As soon as the last groove was filled, the illusion before him dissolved.
In the next moment, a sharp gust of wind filled the chamber. Uchiha Shin turned swiftly, eyes narrowing as he spotted another snake priestess lunging at him, her maw unhinged wide open for a bite.
The third and final priestess had arrived.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones